HP C4180 All-in-One scanner driver for Mac OS X
After searching diligently for a scanner driver for my iBook’s HP C4180, I finally figured out a fix. Why, you ask, did such a thing have to happen? Because, in their infinite wisdom, HP decided not to include a scanner driver with their Mac drivers.
Faint heart ne’er won fair driver.
And here’s how it works, don’t ask me to explain why:
You have to use Microsoft Word for Mac. Word will open the scanner dialog. Who knew?
1. pull up a blank Word page/document.
2. Click on Insert - Picture - from scanner or camera. In that order.
Then ask yourself, what in the world is wrong? Oooops, bet you forgot to connect the scanner to the Mac. I did — forget I mean.
4. Click on the “from scanner or camera” if you haven’t already. Load photo or whatever onto scanner bed…
5. Holy scumolie, Batgirl, what is that you see? Why it’s the HP Scanner window.
6. Scan at whatever scan resolution, color, etc. you wish.
7. Accept the scan at the appropriate time (be sure you crop the photo first, I’m assuming you know how to scan, you know what a .jpg is, and you use iPhoto.)
8. Click on the “destination” option. Scroll down and choose “jpeg to iPhoto. Name the photo. You’re using the regular, run of the mill scanner protocol now. You know the drill…
9. iPhoto will automatically load and import the photo.
(hint: iPhoto eats battery time, remember if you have it loaded in the background when working using your laptop battery and not AC power source.)
Any questions? Leave a comment and I’ll try to answer them. The scanner driver will still hang up on you sometimes, it’s the nature of the beast. I’m getting ready to scan advertisements for the Spring 2007 Issue of the Dead Mule School of Southern Literature and boy oh boy, goodness me, gracious aloayeshus, slap your grandma good, magazine that it is, it needs an infusion of 1937 Literary Digest truss ads to spruce it up.
Moral of this story? If something says “installer does not include scanner driver”, don’t give up on yourself. Fiddle and learn.
And note to all you hardcore Mac users who came here looking for the information I offer — yes, I go on and on. But you know what? You found what you needed, so give it a rest. I’m a writer, I get to add more verbage to my tutorial/info blurbs.
-vmac
Keeper of the Cauliflower
Right Arm of Her Majesty Queen Forsythia Galardia Raintree
